New York State Testing Program

Grade 8 Common Core

English Language Arts Test

Released Questions

May 2016

New York State administered the English Language Arts Common Core
Tests in April 2016 and is now making approximately 75% of the
questions from these tests available for review and use.

June 28, 2016

 THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

New York State Testing Program

Grade 3-8 English Language Arts
Released Questions from 2016 Exams

Background

In 2013, New York State began administering tests designed to assess student performance in accordance
with the instructional shifts and rigor demanded by the new New York State P-12 Learning Standards in
English Language Arts (ELA). To help in this transition to new assessments, the New York State Education
Department (SED) has been releasing an increasing numbers of test questions from the tests that were
administered to students across the State in the spring. This year, SED is again releasing large portions of
the 2016 NYS Grade 3-8 Common Core English Language Arts and Mathematics test materials for review,
discussion, and use.

For 2016, included in these released materials are at least 75 percent of the test questions that appeared
on the 2016 tests (including all constructed-response questions) that counted toward students scores.
Additionally, SED is providing information about the released passages; the associated text complexity for
each passage; and a map that details what learning standard each released question measures and the
correct response to each question. These released materials will help students, families, educators, and
the public better understand the tests and the New York State Education Departments expectations for
students.

Understanding ELA Questions

Multiple-Choice Questions

Multiple-choice questions are designed to assess the New York State P-12 Learning Standards in English
Language Arts. These questions ask students to analyze different aspects of a given text, including central
idea, style elements, character and plot development, and vocabulary. Almost all questions, including
vocabulary questions, will be answered correctly only if the student comprehends and makes use of the
whole passage.

For multiple-choice questions, students select the correct response from four answer choices. Multiple-
choice questions assess reading standards in a variety of ways. Some ask students to analyze aspects of
text or vocabulary. Many questions require students to combine skills. For example, questions may ask
students to identify a segment of text that best supports the central idea. To answer these questions
correctly, a student must first comprehend the central idea and then show understanding of how that
idea is supported. Questions tend to require more than rote recall or identification.

Short-Response Questions

Short-response questions are designed to assess New York State P-12 Reading and Language Standards.
These are single questions in which a student uses textual evidence to support his or her answer to an
inferential question. These questions ask the student to make an inference (a claim, position, or
conclusion) based on his or her analysis of the passage, and then provide two pieces of text-based
evidence to support his or her answer.

The purpose of the short-response questions is to assess a students ability to comprehend and analyze
text. In responding to these questions, students are expected to write in complete sentences. Responses
require no more than three complete sentences. The rubric used for evaluating short-response questions
can be found in the grade-level Educator Guides at http://www.engageny.org/resource/test-guides-for-
english-language-arts-and-mathematics.

Extended-Response Questions

Extended-response questions are designed to measure a students ability to write from sources.
Questions that measure Writing from Sources prompt students to communicate a clear and coherent
analysis of one or two texts. The comprehension and analysis required by each extended response is
directly related to grade-specific reading standards. Student responses are evaluated on the degree to
which they meet grade-level writing and language expectations. This evaluation is made by using a rubric
that incorporates the demands of grade-specific New York State P-12 Reading and Language standards.

The integrated nature of the standards for ELA and literacy requires that students are evaluated across
the strands (Reading, Writing, and Language) with longer pieces of writing, such as those prompted by the
extended-response questions. The rubric used for evaluating extended-response questions can be found
in the grade-level Educator Guides at http://www.engageny.org/resource/test-guides-for-english-
language-arts-and-mathematics.

New York State P-12 Learning Standards Alignment

The alignment(s) to the New York State P-12 Learning Standards for English Language Arts is/are intended
to identify the analytic skills necessary to successfully answer each question. However, some questions
measure proficiencies described in multiple standards, including writing and additional reading and
language standards. For example, two-point and four-point constructed-response questions require
students to first conduct the analyses described in the mapped standard and then produce written
responses that are rated based on writing standards. To gain greater insight into the measurement focus
for constructed-response questions, please refer to the rubrics.

These Released Questions Do Not Comprise a Mini Test

To ensure future valid and reliable tests, some content must remain secure for possible use on future
exams. As such, this document is not intended to be representative of the entire test, to show how
operational tests look, or to provide information about how teachers should administer the test; rather,
its purpose is to provide an overview of how the test reflects the demands of the New York State P-12
Learning Standards.

The released questions do not represent the full spectrum of the standards assessed on the State tests,
nor do they represent the full spectrum of how the standards should be taught and assessed in the
classroom. It should not be assumed that a particular standard will be measured by an identical question
in future assessments. Specific criteria for writing test questions, as well as additional assessment
information, are available at http://www.engageny.org/common-core-assessments.
 2016 Grade 8 ELA Test Text Complexity Metrics for
Released Questions Available on EngageNY
Selecting high-quality, grade-appropriate passages requires both objective text
complexity metrics and expert judgment. For the grade 3-8 assessments based on the
New York State P-12 Learning Standards for English Language Arts, both quantitative
and qualitative rubrics are used to determine the complexity of the texts and their
appropriate placement within a grade-level ELA exam.

Quantitative measures of text complexity are used to measure aspects of text

complexity that are difficult for a human reader to evaluate when examining a text.
These aspects include word frequency, word length, sentence length, and text cohesion.
These aspects are efficiently measured by computer programs. While quantitative text
complexity metrics are a helpful start, they are not definitive.

Qualitative measures are a crucial complement to quantitative measures. Using

qualitative measures of text complexity involves making an informed decision about the
difficulty of a text in terms of one or more factors discernible to a human reader
applying trained judgment to the task. To qualitatively determine the complexity of a
text, educators use a rubric composed of five factors; four of these factors are required
and one factor is optional. The required criteria are: meaning, text structure, language
features, and knowledge demands. The optional factor, graphics, is used only if a
graphic appears in the text.

To make the final determination as to whether a text is at grade-level and thus

appropriate to be included on a grade 3-8 assessment, New York State uses a two-step
review process, which is industry best-practice. First, all prospective passages undergo
quantitative text complexity analysis using three text complexity measures. If at least
two of the three measures suggest that the passage is grade-appropriate, the passage
then moves to the second step, which is the qualitative review using the text-complexity
rubrics. Only passages that are determined appropriate by at least two of three
quantitative measures of complexity and are determined appropriate by the qualitative
measure of complexity are deemed appropriate for use on the exam.

For more information about text selection, complexity, and the review process please
refer to
https://www.engageny.org/resource/new-york-state-passage-selection-resources-
for-grade-3-8-assessments
https://www.engageny.org/resource/selection-of-authentic-texts-for-common-core-
instruction-guidance-and-a-list-of-resources
https://www.engageny.org/resource/december-2014-nti-understanding-text-
complexity-grades-9-12
 THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234
2016 English Language Arts Tests Map to the Standards
Grade 8 Released Questions Available on EngageNY
Multiple Choice Questions: Constructed Response Questions:
Percentage of Students Average P-Value
Secondary Who Answered Correctly Points (Average Points Earned
Question Type Key Points Standard Subscore Standard(s) (P-Value) Earned Total Possible Points)
Book 1
1 Multiple Choice A 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.1 Reading 0.59

2 Multiple Choice C 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.1 Reading 0.58

3 Multiple Choice A 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.1 Reading 0.96

4 Multiple Choice D 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.3 Reading 0.89

5 Multiple Choice B 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.3 Reading 0.63

6 Multiple Choice B 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.5 Reading 0.73

7 Multiple Choice A 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.2 Reading 0.75

22 Multiple Choice C 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.3 Reading 0.72

23 Multiple Choice D 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.4 Reading 0.69

24 Multiple Choice A 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.1 Reading 0.55

25 Multiple Choice B 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.3 Reading 0.52

26 Multiple Choice D 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.6 Reading 0.63

27 Multiple Choice A 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.6 Reading 0.73

28 Multiple Choice B 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.2 Reading 0.57

29 Multiple Choice C 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.4 Reading 0.61

30 Multiple Choice A 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.1 Reading 0.75

31 Multiple Choice C 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.3 Reading 0.65

32 Multiple Choice C 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.3 Reading 0.53

33 Multiple Choice D 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.8 Reading 0.67

34 Multiple Choice B 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.5 Reading 0.59

35 Multiple Choice D 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.2 Reading 0.60

Book 2

36 Multiple Choice D 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.3 Reading 0.54

 Grade 8 Released Questions Available on EngageNY
Multiple Choice Questions: Constructed Response Questions:
Percentage of Students Average P-Value
Secondary Who Answered Correctly Points (Average Points Earned
Question Type Key Points Standard Subscore Standard(s) (P-Value) Earned Total Possible Points)
37 Multiple Choice A 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.5 Reading 0.57

38 Multiple Choice C 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.4 Reading 0.72

39 Multiple Choice D 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.1 Reading 0.72

40 Multiple Choice B 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.7 Reading 0.73

41 Multiple Choice C 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.2 Reading 0.54

42 Multiple Choice B 1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.2 Reading 0.85

Writing to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2
43 Constructed Response 2 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.3 1.46 0.73
Sources CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.9

Writing to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2
44 Constructed Response 2 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.3 1.50 0.75
Sources CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.9

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.1
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2,
Writing to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.2
45 Constructed Response 4 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.9, 2.37 0.59
Sources CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.3
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.3
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.6
Book 3
Writing to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2
46 Constructed Response 2 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.4 1.55 0.78
Sources CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.9
Writing to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2
47 Constructed Response 2 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.6 1.49 0.74
Sources CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.9

Writing to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2
48 Constructed Response 2 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.2 1.71 0.86
Sources CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.9

Writing to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2
49 Constructed Response 2 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.1 1.59 0.80
Sources CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.9

Writing to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2
50 Constructed Response 2 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.4 1.43 0.71
Sources CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.9

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.1
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2,
Writing to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.2
51 Constructed Response 4 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.9, 2.58 0.65
Sources CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.3
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.8
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.6
*This item map is intended to identify the primary analytic skills necessary to successfully answer each question. However, each constructed-response question measures proficiencies described in multiple
standards, including writing and additional reading and language standards. For example, two point and four point constructed-response questions require students to first conduct the analyses described in
the mapped standard and then produce written responses that are rated based on writing standards. To gain greater insight into the measurement focus for constructed-response questions please refer to the
rubrics shown in the Educator Guides.